Maturation

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, — read the full passage →

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; — read the full passage →

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings. — read the full passage →

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.

For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. — read the full passage →

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. — read the full passage →

My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. — read the full passage →

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. — read the full passage →

Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. — read the full passage →

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, — read the full passage →

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, — read the full passage →

But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. — read the full passage →

Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, — read the full passage →

But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. — read the full passage →

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: — read the full passage →

As therefore you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, walk in him, — read the full passage →

whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, — read the full passage →

Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you.

But you did not learn Christ that way; — read the full passage →

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; — read the full passage →

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; — read the full passage →

My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you—

Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; — read the full passage →

Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. — read the full passage →

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, — read the full passage →

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; — read the full passage →

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; — read the full passage →

Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. — read the full passage →

Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, — read the full passage →

I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready,

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.

You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. — read the full passage →

Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; — read the full passage →

For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,

who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps,

For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.

as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow, — read the full passage →

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, — read the full passage →

For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food.

Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.

Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, — read the full passage →

whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; — read the full passage →

who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love;

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. — read the full passage →

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

but you know that because of weakness of the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.

Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. — read the full passage →

The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Now, brothers, I entrust you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build up, and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. — read the full passage →

Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?”

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.

This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.